Toomelah

2011

1h 46m

Drama

List

100%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

After he's suspended from school, an Aboriginal boy (Daniel Connors) from a broken home tries to join the ranks of a gang of drug dealers.

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Anton Bitel

Eye for Film

Sen does not flinch from showing a community plagued by misguided models of masculinity, but offsets this hopelessness with a qualified optimism for a different kind of cultural continuity.

Sep 11, 2012

Full Review

Fiona Williams

sbs.com.au

Sen immerses the viewer into the stultifying, bleak life on the mission, in order to bring home the message of the power of self-determination.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 31, 2012

Full Review

Matthew Pejkovic

Matt's Movie Reviews

Raw in its intimacy and heartbreaking in its clarity, Toomelah continues the strong showing from the new wave of indigenous cinema in Australia.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 24, 2011

Full Review

Andrew L. Urban

Urban Cinefile

An unflinching portrait of an Aboriginal boy's options in a small remote community

Nov 20, 2011

Full Review

Thomas Caldwell

Cinema Autopsy

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

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Audience Member

It Is Very Slow With A Basic Premise Of Improvished People Being Supported By "Social Missions", Which Clearly In This Case Do Not Do The Job Of Helping..Rather It Hinders. Obviously There Is A Message Here, But The Story Doesn't Expand Much On The Basics Of Poverty/Oppression Brings Problems.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Confronting and tense...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wonderfully real . This film is desperate and sadly moving , as an Irish woman I can somewhat relate to the desperation and need too hold onto the language and traditions of a raped & dying culture. Wonderful film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is how it is on a mish. If you want to see what has happened to one of the most ancient, wise, sophisticated, spiritual and artistic cultures on earth in the last 200 years, watch Toomelah.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Absolutely extraordinary film. There is no way to describe it -- the look and feel are so much more than the plot and description. Sen cast first time actors from the actual community of Toomelah and achieved something transcendent.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A pretty depressing look at young Aboriginal Daniel's life in rural Queensland/NSW. He's surrounded by drugs, alcohol and violence and that's what he sees as "cool". It's easier said than done to stay and school and become better than your role models. The plot's pretty thin and there's no real coherent story, but there's some nice moments and a good ending with a pretty strong message.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Ivan Sen

Director

Daniel Connors

Daniel

Christopher Edwards

Linden

Michael Connors

Buster

Dean Daley-Jones

Bruce

Dorothy Cubby

Actor

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Synopsis

After he's suspended from school, an Aboriginal boy (Daniel Connors) from a broken home tries to join the ranks of a gang of drug dealers.

Director: Ivan Sen
Screenwriter: Ivan Sen
Production Co: Bunya Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 11, 2017
Runtime: 1h 46m

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